Running board for vehicle bodies



July 28, 1925.

Filed Oct. 21, 1924 fill/11111111111111, 1

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII f" M llllllll 1/55 V Huh. 1 'HHHII- INVENTOR w-fwATTORNEY Patented July 28, 1925.

v 1,541,591, UNITED STATES PATENT ormcs.

ALBERT L. LAMBERT, OF NARBERTH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'lO HEIN TZ MANU-FACTURING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01? PENNSYLYAN IA.

RUNNING BOARD FOR VEHICLE nomnsl I Application filed October 21, 1924.Serial No. 744,873.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. LAMBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Narberth, in the county of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Run--ning Boards for Vehicle Bodies, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to running boards for vehicle bodies, and moreparticularly relates to running board construction for automobilebodies.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a vehicle runningboard of sheet metal, to obtain a light and inexpensive construction,and at the same time to provide a running board which is rigid, sturdy,and durable, and one which will withstand the strains and stresses ofuse.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sheet metal runningboard, stiffened and reenforced by a single rib, so located and designedthat the rib will take the total stress due to a person stepping on theboard at the middle, and also will prevent local depression of therunning board when the stress is applied on either side of the rib, andwhereby is obtained the reenforcement effect of two straight ribs, yetrequiring only the amount of metal necessa for one rib.

Other objects of my inventlon will be in part obvious and in partpointed out hereinafter.

In accordance with my invention, I re-' enforce a sheet metal runningboard by means of a tortuous rib running longitudinally along theunderside of the board. This rib may either be formed by folding aportion of the metal sheet upon itself, so as to stand at right anglesto the plane of the board, or a separate tortuous rib mem ber may beattached to the underside of the board, by welding or riveting or thelike. The edges of the board are preferably reenforced and strengthenedby flanges, which extend downward at an angle to the plane of the board.Also, if desired, a recess may be formed along the top of the board toreceive a linoleum pad, which is usually ap plied. In this modification,the formed relc)ess gets as a stiffener for the edge of the oar In orderthat a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention ishereby directed to the accompanying forming a part of this applicationtrating certain invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. is a top view of a running board cmbodylng my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof, and is taken on the line 22of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of a runningboard embodying my invention, showing a means of applying a linoleum padthereto;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of running boardembodymg my invention, and including a recess for a linoleum pad;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of a portion of therunning board shown in Fig. 4, showing one means of holdingl a linoleumpad in place on the board; an

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional View of a running board, showing anotherpossible modification of the construction.

Similar reference characters referto similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the running board in all the modificationsshown in the drawings is constructed of an integral piece of sheet metalprovided with a tortuous rib running longitudinally along the undersideof the board. In the modification shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, thistortuous rib 1 is formed by folding a portion of the metal sheet 2 onitself in such a way that the rib stands at right angles to the plane ofthe board. In this modification, the top of the board is straight andflat. The outer edge of the board is flanged downwardly, as at 3, andthen doubled back, as at 4:, forming a stiffening and reenforcing flangealong this edge. The rear edge of the board may be flanged downwardly,as at 5, and is adapted to be supported from the side splash 6 of thevehicle body, as by resting on a horizontal flange 7 formed along thelower drawings, and illuspossible embodiments of my edge of the sidesplash 6. The ends of the running board may be flanged downwardly, as at8, with either a single flange or a double flange.

If it is desired to secure a pad 9 of linoleum or other material on thetop of this running board, this may be accomplished,

as shown in Fig. 3, by means of securing one or more retaining strips 10along the outer and side edges of the board, these retaining stripspreferably having vertical flanges 11, which may be bolted, as at 12, tothe-flanges of the running board, and hold the linoleum pad 9 in placeby, means of horizontal upper flanges 13, which overlap the front andside edges of the pad 9.

Referring to Figs. 4: and 5, the running board, if desired, may beformed of an in tegral piece of sheet metal 14, with a tortu ous rib 15running longitudinally along the underside of the board and formed byfolding a portion of the sheet metal upon itself, as in the previousmodification. As shown, the board may have a recess 16 formed in its topto receive the usual linoleum pad 17 This pad may be retained in placeby means of angle-shaped retaining members 18, which may be secured tothe outer edge flange 19 of the running board and also to the sideflanges, these retaining. members overlapping the adjacent edges of thelinoleum pad, as at 20.

Referring to Fig. 6, instead of forming the tortuous rib along theunderside of the board by folding a portion of the metal sheet uponitself, this rib may consist-of a separate tortuous strip of sheetmetal,

which is folded upon itself to form the vertical reenforcing andstiffening rib 21, and with horizontal flanges 22 disposed against andWelded, or riveted, or otherwise secured to the underside of a sheetmetal plate 23, which forms the body of the running board.

It will be obvious from the above that the tortuous rib, in. eithermodification, will ive the reenforcing and strengthening efect of twostraight longitudinal ribs, and yet requires only the amount of metalnecessary for one rib. It will be noted that, in addition to this medialreenforcement, the sheet metal running board is reenforced along all ofits edges, and that, when the top of the board is recessed, as shown inFigs. 4 and 5, the recessed portion acts as a stiffener for the ed 'esof the board.

The rib in modification shown in Fig ure 2 may be formed in thefollowing manner:-The groove is formed open by means of a punch in thefirst operation and is of the same tortuous shape as shown in Figure 1,the metal designated as 2 in Figure 2 being held flat during thisoperation between a ressure plate and a die. Then the board 1spositioned between an upper pressure plate and slide members, and theslide members are moved inwardly to squeeze the rib walls together. Thebending of the flanges around the edge of the board may be accomplishedin a conventional manner.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and as manyapparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be madewithout departin from th scope thereof, it is intended that ll mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is 1. As an article of manufacture, a running board forvehicle bodies comprising a plate having a tortuous rib extendinglongitudinally along the under side thereof, said rib comprising sheetmetal folded upon itself.

2. As an article of manufacture, a running board for vehicle bodiescomprising an integral piece of sheet metal folded upon itself along atortuous line and forming a tortuous rib extending longitudinally alongthe underside of the board and substantially at right angles to theplane of the board.

3. As an article of manufacture, a running board for vehicle bodiescomprising an integral piece of sheet metal folded upon itself alon atortuous line and forming a tortuous rib the underside of the board andsubstantially at right angles to the plane of the board, the outer edgeof said piece being flanged downwardly and forming a reenforcing flangealong the outer edge of the board.

4. As an article of manufacture, a running board for vehicle bodiescomprising a plate having a tortuous rib extending longitudinally alongthe underside thereof, said plate having a recess along its (topsurface. a

5. As an article of manufacture, a running-board for vehicle bodiescomprising a piece of sheet metal, having a tortuous reenforcing andstiffening rib extending longitudinally and medially along itsunderside, and having a reenforcing and stiffening depressed portion onits u per side, and having a downwardly exten ing reenforcirg andstiffening flange along its outer e ge.

This specification signed this 17th day of October, 1924.-

ALBERT L. LAMBERT.

extending longitudinally along

